For his first project after “The Sopranos,” David Chase could have aimed for the moon. Instead, he chose to stay in New Jersey.

Coming off the seven-year run of one of the most celebrated shows in television history, Chase thought he might like to write a semi-autobiographical script about a group of guys in 1960s suburban Jersey who form a rock ’n’ and roll band. He turned to Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band-mate Steven Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante on “The Sopranos,” for advice.